Friday weigh in

Happy Friday y'all!

This one is going to be short and sweet! It's been a crazy busy week and an even busier weekend. I'm traveling for work - driving to Cincinnati - and gone from Saturday - Wednesday.

This will be my 2nd time traveling since surgery. It's a little tricky with food but totally doable. I learned my lesson on the last trip and this time paid $20 extra per night at the hotel to have a fridge. That way I can bring protein shakes, yogurt, cheese etc. The cooler will be packed for the drive to keep me out of the drive-through!

Traveling by myself in the car used to be one of my favorite things - I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted BY MYSELF! It's a little sad when I think about it - my trips revolved around food - always. This time, instead of researching all the restaurants and food opportunities, I've scoped out the river running trails and the Bikram yoga studio. Life is so different now and it's SO so so so much better.

Now for this weeks numbers!

Jan 14 - Start of liquid diet - 250
Jan 29 - Surgery weight - 237 -13
Feb 8 - 231 -6
Feb 15 - 222 -9
Feb 22 - 220  -2
Mar 1 - 218  -2
Mar 8 - 216  -2
Mar 15 - 213 -3
Mar 22 - 209 -4
Mar 28 - 208 -1
Apr 5 - 206 -2
Apr 12 - 199 -7
Apr 26 - 196 -3
May 3 - 193 -3 
May 10 - 190 -3
May 17 - 187 -3  
63 pounds total! 


Hello 180s! I haven't seen you since my wedding! 3 seems to be the magic lately and that's fine by me!

Have a happy, healthy week everyone! I will TRY to do Monday's Mix Tape from the road!

Monday mix tape - Spring Fling 5k edition


Hope all the mothers out there had a great mothers day! I'm lucky enough to have the worlds greatest mother and although I did not get to see her, I sent her a package of workout goodies. She discovered running in her sixties and works out at the gym regularly. When she's not doing that, she's running around doing everything else. I'm proud to be just like her :)


Saturday was my first 5k race of the season. It's a small, fun race in the neighborhood adjoining ours so I like to support it whenever I can. This year there were a lot more people and it was well organized so I hope it keeps growing!

My sister and I pre-race. Yes she's a foot taller than me.
She was born in the 80s AFTER our parents quit smoking  :)
It was sunny and cool outside - perfect weather for running so my anxiety wasn't quite as bad. The first 1/4 mile was slightly up hill but then there was a nice, big down hill which got my breathing under control and I found my groove early on. There was one absolutely huge hill (San Francisco size hill to quote my sister) which I walked about half of and the rest of the time I ran like the wind.

I blew away my time from this race 2 years ago by 4 minutes and one second. 45:54 was my time!!!
Side by side comparison! click on picture to enlarge.
I really pushed it and averaged a 15:13 mile. That's record speed for my tiny legs. It took me a minute to recover after!

This is what we looked like after. Not as pretty but proud!

The best thing about an early morning race is that when you're done, you still have the whole day to play knowing that you earned it. We went to the lake for the afternoon, got some sun and may have had a few drinks.
 
Not all mine I swear. Half a beer is my limit post surgery.  Tequila not pictured.






Sunday I ended up working most of the day to make up for my Saturday o' fun.  It was also a much needed day off working out. I tend to do six really hard days in a row and rest on the seventh. Apparently one of the dogs suggested that my husband take me out for a tamale and a margarita for dog mothers day. It was a nice way to end a great weekend.

Now, for the rest of the week, no more drinking :)

Have a happy, healthy week everyone!


Friday weigh in

Happy Friday y'all. Another good week in the books - I ran a 5k twice, saw my trainer, did yoga twice, saw a great concert and got a lot of work done! All this extra energy really gets put to good use!

Getting right to this weeks numbers
Jan 14 - Start of liquid diet - 250
Jan 29 - Surgery weight - 237 -13
Feb 8 - 231 -6
Feb 15 - 222 -9
Feb 22 - 220  -2
Mar 1 - 218  -2
Mar 8 - 216  -2
Mar 15 - 213 -3
Mar 22 - 209 -4
Mar 28 - 208 -1
Apr 5 - 206 -2
Apr 12 - 199 -7
Apr 26 - 196 -3
May 3 - 193 -3 
May 10 - 190 -3 
60 pounds total! 

I hit the 60 pound mark yesterday and was THRILLED! Also, I officially weigh less than my husband which is the way it should be!

60 pounds seems to be a good number. People are freaking out when they see me. I've decided to embrace it and enjoy it even when it gets a little awkward - like when I find myself in the center of a group of people and everyone is staring at me. I keep it light and funny and then try to steer the conversation toward something else eventually!

I have my neighborhood 5k tomorrow which I'm really looking forward to. I haven't done this race in two years and am hoping it's much easier this time! It's hilly and I have my running/anxiety/breathing issue that I have in common with my friend and fellow blogger Shelley. I'm going to run a little before and do my breathing exercises and try to keep it under control. It's not something I can't deal with and it stops after about a mile but it would be nice to have a first mile where I don't feel like I have to quit!

Have a happy, healthy weekend everyone!






Monday Mix Tape


Weekend wrap up
-------------------------------
As promised, it rained ALL weekend. Oh wait - the sun did come out long enough for us to clean up the yard and set the outdoor table for a dinner party - then it rained again.

I kept myself busy by going to support group, clothes shopping on Saturday and cooking Cinco de Mayo dinner all day Sunday. This was the first really big meal I've cooked post surgery and boy did I realize what a "taster" I am! I truly didn't realize how much I nibbled while I cooked until my stomach gave me a little warning - nothing painful just the burp feeling I get now when I've eaten enough. Luckily I was cooking a chicken burrito recipe from cooking light so everything I was tasting was good for me. I just had to add it to My Fitness Pal and count it as part of my lunch. It feels so good to be aware!

I was nursing a hamstring injury so I didn't work out Saturday or Sunday. It just felt like the right thing to do. When you are listening to your body, it doesn't always tell you what you want to hear. My husband kept reminding me to practice what I preach - I would have made him take a couple days off if he had an injury! :)

Even more non-scale victories
----------------------------------------
This morning my hamstring was feeling much better but of course it was still raining so I forced myself to do a treadmill run. It's so boring compared to being outside but there was no way I was going to get my new shoes soaking wet!

I hadn't been on the treadmill in months and had no idea how long or how far to go. Outside I do a 5k route almost every time but am still walking one hill. I pushed the 5k button and off I went with a goal of doing a mile then I would walk a little. As usual, my breathing was off at first, my mind was full of doubts/panic/whatever and I felt like I couldn't even run a minute. Then it evened out and I found my groove. When the mile mark came my mind was done but my body wasn't so we kept going. By mile 2 my hamstring was tight, my mind was fighting me but my body was still going strong so I just though what the hell let's finish this.

 
And there you have it folks. My first 5k without stopping. 400 calories burned according to my heart rate monitor!
 
 
And this is what I looked like after. Proud and soaking wet!

 
You know what else is awesome? I have tracked everything that has gone in my mouth for the last 90 days on My Fitness Pal. In my opinion, tracking is essential for weight loss - with surgery or without! It's free and it's the easiest thing I've ever done. It's even easier than the Weight Watchers tracker and you have to pay for that! If any of my readers want to find me there my username is tinaatl. I made my diary public so you can see what I eat (and drink). I'm always honest - when I have dark chocolate and tequila I will own that :)

The week ahead
----------------------------------------
I have a (crazy hilly) 5k on Saturday to get ready for so there will be extra running combined with yoga, my trainer and spin. I'm trying out a new gym and I'm hoping their spin classes are as great as people say they are! Apparently the sun is even going to come out?!

Have a happy, healthy week everyone!




Friday weigh in

Well this week certainly flew by! It was a busy one but a good one. The only bummer is the sun hasn't come out at all and we're looking at a soaking wet weekend. I'm going to make sure there are no snacks in the house and keep myself plenty busy!!

The numbers for the week
Jan 14 - Start of liquid diet - 250
Jan 29 - Surgery weight - 237 -13
Feb 8 - 231 -6
Feb 15 - 222 -9
Feb 22 - 220  -2
Mar 1 - 218  -2
Mar 8 - 216  -2
Mar 15 - 213 -3
Mar 22 - 209 -4
Mar 28 - 208 -1
Apr 5 - 206 -2
Apr 12 - 199 -7
Apr 26 - 196 -3
May 3 - 193 -3 
57 pounds total!  

I can't believe I'm almost to the 60 pound mark. Next week I will probably be lighter than my husband for the first time since we got married. I'm about half a pound away from that goal :)

A few non-scale victories to share as well:

Yesterday when I started my run my legs felt heavy and not wanting to move. 49 minutes and 17 seconds later I had a personal best 5k. (okay that's not world record setting but I have short legs and that's blazing fast for me!!) Also, there are lots of hills on my route (Atlanta is up-hill both ways) but there are 2 that I normally have to walk. Yesterday, I ran up one of those hills leaving me only one more to conquer. Once I conquer a hill I will not let myself go back. I raised the bar now I'm always running that hill.

Last night I went to a concert, walked a mile to the venue and then stood for 4 hours. My legs weren't sore at all. 57 pounds ago I would have been hurting all day the next day.

People are really starting to notice and I'm practicing being gracious and saying thank you and moving on. Yesterday, a young kid that works at our local bar yelled "Tina you look AWESOME" across the intersection - there were tons of people out in our 'hood and they all looked at me but it felt great.

Happy weekend everyone! See you on Monday!

 

Monday mix tape

Weekend wrap up
------------------------------
Not too much to report after a very gray and wet weekend!

Saturday started out really wet so we had to skip the 5k. I had some extra time so I decided to go do some clothes shopping. I had a gift card from lululemon and I freaked out the whole way there -  wondering if I was lululemon size yet. Luckily the manager I know was there so she helped me decide on a few styles and then it was off to the fitting room with 3 pairs of pants - all size 12. They. All. Fit.
I had to pick one since they are $80 but I can promise you when I get to my goal weight I will own at least 6 pair. Size 4 maybe? I kept looking at the bag sitting in my front seat. Finally I can shop there for something other than a head band :)

After that I went to  Nordstrom Rack for the first time for something other than shoes. I've never even glanced at clothes there but sure enough I found a couple of cute tops for an awesome deal. One is a fitted blazer that doesn't quite fit yet but I know that it will - probably right in time for our trip to Scotland in August. Anyway, I have have a whole post started about the clothes thing and the quite surprising emotional toll this is taking on me. I'm going to address it with my support group peeps on Saturday so I hope to finish it before then!

SO it cleared up enough in the late afternoon to do a 5 mile walk. I probably burned more calories doing that than I would have at the 5k- even with a stop for sushi. Right now I can manage about 4 pieces of sushi - 3 sashimi and one nigiri - that way I can have one bite of rice which is just enough.

Sunday we had brunch with friends but I drank a latte before and was so full that I had a single bite of scrambled egg and less than 1/4 chicken sausage. That was a bad idea. I was "hungry" all day. Not even a little bit physically hungry - it was ALL in my head. It was dark, pouring rain, and I was working. The perfect storm. I had a couple of wheat thins and a couple of pop chips (left over dog sitter snacks - note to self: make the dog sitter take all snacks with him next time!) it made me want more!

Now I know that 2 wheat thins and 2 pop chips aren't going to undo everything I've worked so hard for but to me it's a early warning sign. I suppose it's good that I'm recognizing this when it happens - this is only the 2nd time in 3 months and both times it's been gross outside. I need to figure out NOW what do on the gray days to get through it. Normally I could go to a yoga class or something else indoors but there was no getting around work yesterday. As time goes by and I'm able to eat more, it would be great to have a strategies in place for my known triggers.

The week ahead
------------------------------
Running, yoga, spinning, weight training and pilates all on the schedule for this week. I'm loving the variety right now. I need to do my job in the middle of all of this! Staying busy really helps - as I like to say "idle hands eat the devil's snacks":)

Have a happy, healthy week!!

Friday weigh in - 3 month update

Three months since surgery already!

I saw my surgeon this morning and I don't think I've ever been so excited to go the doctor in my life! He freaked out when he saw me then we went through the numbers! He was thrilled (said I was a rockstar) with all I've accomplished in 3 months. We just sat and talked about working out and all the new things I can do. I know I say this every time I see him but I can never get over how genuinely happy he is for me and how easy he is to talk to.

Getting right to the rock star numbers...

Jan 14 - Start of liquid diet - 250
Jan 29 - Surgery weight - 237 -13
Feb 8 - 231 -6
Feb 15 - 222 -9
Feb 22 - 220  -2
Mar 1 - 218  -2
Mar 8 - 216  -2
Mar 15 - 213 -3
Mar 22 - 209 -4
Mar 28 - 208 -1
Apr 5 - 206 -2
Apr 12 - 199 -7
Apr 26 - 196 -3
54 pounds total! 
 
Starting BMI = 48
One month post surgery BMI = 42.6!! - 5.4
Two month post surgery BMI= 40.6 -2.0
Three month post surgery BMI= 38.3 -2.3

Inches for April
Waist: - 4. 75"
Chest: - 1"
Hips: - 2.5"
Thigh:  R - .5"
Arm: R - 1"
Calf: R - .5"
- 10.25" for this month
26.75 total inches since surgery!

Now for the progress pictures. I'm not seeing as much of a dramatic change this month but the size 14s I'm wearing and all those inches are what really matters to me - oh and all my progress with yoga and running!

click to enlarge
A couple of non scale victories to share:
1. The difference on the plane last week was amazing. No seat belt struggle. The tray table went down.
2. The hotel towel went all the way around me
3. I designed some cute, tight girlie shirts for my trainer over a year ago and never thought I could wear one. Ta-da!
I love my Karen the Fitness Girl tiny t-shirt and my jumprope!
So that's where we are now. I'm happier than I've ever been - food is no longer the center of my universe. I have energy to spare and I feel so incredibly blessed to have so much love and support from my friends, my family and my readers. I'm going to make y'all so proud!

Monday mix tape - rock and roll edition

Weekend wrap up
-----------------------------------------
Apologies for not posting a Friday weigh in this week. I was in Cleveland and frankly it was nice taking the week off from the scale. I came back the same as I left. 199!

We had a total blast on our trip. My husband knows one of the members of the Proclaimers from Scotland so Thursday night we went to see their show at The Beachland Ballroom which is an old Croatian dance hall. Such a great show at such a cool place.



They were such nice guys too and I was so happy to get the chance to have a quick chat with them and get our picture taken.


Friday we spend the day at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - it was freezing and raining so it was a great day to be indoors. It's a fantastic museum and well worth a visit. We walked around for 5 hours and were never bored!

Saturday morning I went to the best spin class of my life at a studio called Psychle. I spun in a completely dark, candle lit room for an hour. The instructors are AMAZING and motivate you with messages about self love and pushing your limits etc. About half way through, the instructor (who I had met the night before and is good friend of our friends we were traveling with) came over and set a candle in front of my bike because I was "totally busting my ass". At the end, I blew out the candle with my friend and made a wish. I saw the pool of sweat around my bike and have never felt more proud to have made such a mess :) It was snowing when we came out of there but as you can see in the photos above, I was still smiling!

Sunday morning we flew home early. WAY too early for all the drinking we did.

The week ahead
--------------------------
I'm happy to be home and back to my routine. It's HARD to eat high protein on the road with no refrigerator. I had way too much alcohol and restaurant food. If it weren't for all the walking and the 500 calorie burn at spin I might have gained some weight back.

I see the surgeon on Friday so I need to work really hard to get in the "safe zone" this week - I want to make sure his scale sees onederland too. I didn't come this far to have shoes and clothes put me back over my goal!

The visit to the surgeon means we will be at the 3 month mark so stay tuned for updated pictures and measurements on Friday!

Have a happy, healthy week!




Monday mix tape

Weekend wrap up
----------------------------------
 Another fun weekend here in the ATL (except for the part where I cleaned the basement)!

Saturday was supposed to be my day off after my crazy week of exercise but it was gorgeous out so we ignored the piles of laundry and set out on foot to get some exercise and have some fun.

We walked to the 2 miles to the running store to get me some new kicks after realizing I was running in shoes that got me through the 3-Day and were well past retirement.
I've been a huge fan of the Brooks Adrenaline for years. I just keep updating them with the new model. These are much more fun than they usually are - I'm glad they added some color!

After that we stopped for a beer (half a beer in my case) and then went to the taco place where I ate the insides of a pulled pork taco and a few bites of some shrimp and corn chowder. I thought eating out after surgery would be difficult but it's not at all. I love places that sell single tacos, or small plates. Most pubs now have half pints or I just sip on one shot of tequila (Patrón always!) over ice with some limes.

After lunch the was uphill but believe me we needed it after that :) 5 miles in total and we had so much fun along the way.

Sunday the weather was cold and cloudy. The opposite of Saturday! I was kinda cranky and hungry and exhausted. And I really needed the day off from exercise. Turns out this is a not a great combo for me. I thought about food a lot and wished I could have a big bowl of mac and cheese or pizza. It's totally in my head and I blame it on being born in Minnesota - the second the weather is cold and grey, I want to eat to "survive the winter. So I cleaned the basement and did a lot of really lame chores around the house to keep myself busy. I had a Kashi blueberry waffle which really did the trick. If that's going to be the extent of my "bad days" I'll take it!

My closet, my enemy
----------------------------------
I thought for sure that the clothes would be the most fun part of this whole journey and I'm sorry to say that it's not! I didn't really consider the in-between time - that crazy place I am now where nothing I own is wearable - even bras and underwear! Yesterday it almost made me sad how bad I looked in my winter clothes but I just can't bring myself to buy new stuff I'm only going to wear for another week. I'm traveling this weekend and I'm hoping the residents of Cleveland can overlook my baggy butt jeans and my big old winter coat.

The summer clothes are problematic too. I'm certainly not at the sleeveless shirt stage yet outside of yoga - can't someone make something with a sleeve that's not a cap sleeve?!? I found a few 3/4 sleeve tops I'll wear to death for now. At least I can wear my capri pants and jeans which are a short girls saving grace.

One of these days I'm going to have to face bra and swimsuit shopping. Shudder.

Have a happy, healthy week everyone!